Trust Tommy

I’m not anti-religion.

I’m anti you-trying-to-force-me-to-be-part-of-your religion.

I recently read Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown. Before I even go into the man’s writing style or ability, the guy sure can brew controversy like my mother does strong tea. I’ve gotten a lot of people say to me about any book: “Oh my god, this book will make you laugh/cry/hungry/go all warm and fuzzy inside” and I’ve got books that have been the opposite. (”I wouldn’t wipe my …. with it”). However, no books but Dan Brown’s books have gotten such a wide response from both parties. I mean, usually, the books usually stuck with different parties, some resigned to being toilet fodder and others will forever be in the back of my curiosity. “just how can a book make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”

Like I said though, Angels and Demons managed to garner a verdict from both sides.

So, like any curious teenager, I set out to read this book. I mean, toilet paper that stimulates your brain could be worth something, after all.

My opportunity came when John went to see the movie in the cinema. He came home and I asked him if it was good. “Yeah” he said, ‘not bad, compared to the book. Have you read the book??’ he shoots at me. ‘No’ I reply, ‘but give us a copy and I will’

And so he did.

And so I read it.

I don’t know where it stemmed from, but the Vatican conclaves have always fascinated me. Maybe because it’s so secretive and I like mystery. Anyway, the election of a new pope is central to the plot.

It is a thriller. I mean, mystery aside, it’s designed to keep you on the edge of your seat, to keep you reading until the last page and to keep you guessing as to where the next murder will be. Oh, did I not mention that? Fans of juicy murders will not be disappointed by this book :)

Whatever my views on religion, I love the Vatican. All the churches and artwork is beautiful, and how best to experience the finest Venetian has to offer than by following Robert Langdon as he races against the Illuminati, trying to save lives? Don’t answer that.

I’ve done some googling on the subject of the Illuminati and while they do seem to have existed, they don’t appear to have as big a hold on modern society as Brown says they do. There is also no evidence that Galileo was a member.

I think Brown wanted to write a novel about some terrorists in the Vatican, and then did a little research and found the Illuminati, this anti-church group, and thought they’d be perfect. Which they are, and credit to the author. I mean, the Illuminati make for much better reading then a generic terrorist group. The author is perfectly allowed some license with them. As in, we know they existed, and there is evidence of their existence, but to use them and also to take them to the next level by using noted science figures adds to the experience. Sure, in real life Galileo didn’t plot to overthrow the church in such a manner, but in the novel, it fits perfectly, it’s believable and it makes it entertaining. I dislike fantasy books based on other worlds with aliens in them, as I like books on Earth with real people. However, if you decide to take the truth and stretch it a bit as Brown did, you won’t get any complaints from me.

The book I got was some sort of ‘illustrated version’. If the text mentioned the Egyptians worshipping sun-gods, there’d be an ancient drawing found on the wall of some pyramid. This adds to the experience, especially when talking about people like Copernicus. It helps some people to visualize a person, and this sort of book allows that. The only downside of this was that my copy of the book was a good 400 pages of leather-bound A4, which is heavy enough. You wouldn’t want it to bring on your holidays like. Still, I mainly read it at the kitchen table or in bed, so all was well.

So, verdict is that you don’t want to write your Masters using it, but it makes a wonderful thing to read if you were taking a break from the 12 hour writing periods. Just remember to wipe the part of memory that you’re using for research clean before you go back writing.

Side note, the book is full of ambigrams, which are words or phrases that can be read upside down or rightside up. The cover of the book (seen above) and the image below, which is a plot point in the book. Can you make out what it says? I find with a lot of ambigrams, a lot of license has to be taken. Example